Public Health and Safety

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Public health and safety are essential for all Chicagoans to feel protected and cared for as individuals and as a cohesive community.

Structural racism and other systems of oppression are the root causes of Chicago’s gaping health inequities, including inequities based on gender and income. Health inequities are the systematic differences in health status and outcomes across populations that are unfair, unjust, and remediable.

Life expectancy for Black Chicagoans is 10 years shorter than white residents, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health. Every year, thousands of Chicagoans die earlier than they would if there were no health inequities, which exist across virtually all disease categories. The inequities persist for violence-related deaths, especially involving the city’s pervasive gun violence. Thousands of violent incidents every year result in hundreds of deaths and injuries, as well as trauma for individuals and communities. Black Chicagoans in their late teens are especially impacted by death by homicide, with rates as much as 10 times greater than city averages, according to a recent Northwestern Institute for Policy Research study. Immigrant Chicagoans also face particular challenges due to lack of access to healthcare and little familiarity with how health and safety systems work.

The Public Health and Safety pillar’s goals are intended to reduce threats to physical and mental health, prioritize public health and contribute to the elimination of inequities in both health and safety by making health equity a top priority for the City of Chicago.

Take the Public Health & Safety pillar survey >>

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Public health and safety are essential for all Chicagoans to feel protected and cared for as individuals and as a cohesive community.

Structural racism and other systems of oppression are the root causes of Chicago’s gaping health inequities, including inequities based on gender and income. Health inequities are the systematic differences in health status and outcomes across populations that are unfair, unjust, and remediable.

Life expectancy for Black Chicagoans is 10 years shorter than white residents, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health. Every year, thousands of Chicagoans die earlier than they would if there were no health inequities, which exist across virtually all disease categories. The inequities persist for violence-related deaths, especially involving the city’s pervasive gun violence. Thousands of violent incidents every year result in hundreds of deaths and injuries, as well as trauma for individuals and communities. Black Chicagoans in their late teens are especially impacted by death by homicide, with rates as much as 10 times greater than city averages, according to a recent Northwestern Institute for Policy Research study. Immigrant Chicagoans also face particular challenges due to lack of access to healthcare and little familiarity with how health and safety systems work.

The Public Health and Safety pillar’s goals are intended to reduce threats to physical and mental health, prioritize public health and contribute to the elimination of inequities in both health and safety by making health equity a top priority for the City of Chicago.

Take the Public Health & Safety pillar survey >>

...
Page last updated: 07 Sep 2022, 12:33 PM